The Fresh Market Focus is on Grocerant Niche Holiday Meals and Meal Components

When food retailers focus on the consumer, they more often than not win the hearts, minds, and pocket book of the consumer according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

This year, The Fresh Market is gearing up for December holidays focusing on consumer trends garnering the most attention in the food industry.  This year they are focused on garnering new customer with the launch of several prepared meal options, as well as specialty food gifts ranging from coffee and tea to hot cocoa bombs and bacon chutney in a mix and match grocerant niche bundled set of options.

The fully prepared meals to feed a crowd are now available for in-store and online ordering, and customers can pick them up between Dec. 21 and Dec. 24. Options include the Ultimate Holiday Meal for $179.99, which can feed 12-14 people and includes a 10-12 pound turkey, a boneless sliced ham, herb stuffing, a green bean medley, 24 dinner rolls and more.

The there is ‘The Traditional Holiday Meal’, which costs $99.99 and serves eight to 10 people, comes with a fully cooked turkey, whipped potatoes, cranberry relish and more. Loyalty customers or those that sign up for The Fresh Market’s Ultimate Loyalty Experience can receive $10 off this particular meal.

Yes, there are still more options including prepared meals that range from a $49.99 prime rib spread that feeds two people to a Holiday Ham Meal for $99.99 that includes white cheddar scalloped potatoes and feeds up to 10 people. The grocer’s December magazine is available online and in store and contains additional meal ideas and holiday inspiration.

Just as important to many customers as saving the time to cook all of the meal components from scratch is the fact that, The Fresh Market is also committing to feeding the hungry this holiday season with its Holiday Round Up campaign. The fundraiser runs through Dec. 27 and customers can round up their in-store purchase or add a different donation amount to support the efforts of Feeding America.

So, $1 helps provide at least 10 meals, and 100% of funds collected will benefit Feeding America, which will, in turn, redistribute 90% of those funds to local Feeding America member food banks that partner with The Fresh Market stores.

In case you did not know, the Greensboro, N.C.-based The Fresh Market operates 160 stores in 22 states. It is No. 78 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer's 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. In May, Chilean supermarket operator Cencosud revealed that it was acquiring The Fresh Market.

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®.  Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869

Dickey’s Grocerant Ready-2-Heat Holiday Feasts for Thanksgiving

 

Are you sure you want to cooking a big holiday meal for the family and then pack up leftovers for everyone to take home? COVID-19 has most of us stuck home this year.  However, cheer-up you can still treat, your kids, grandkids, and family with a holiday meal on you.  It’s simple call Dickey’s Barbecue Pit they everything you need for your family to enjoy a stress-free Thanksgiving with time left over to think about you.

Being socially distanced does not mean you can’t still enjoy the celebration with a meal according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

This year, Dickey’s customers can order individualized holiday box lunches containing slow-smoked carved turkey sandwiches, sides of cornbread dressing, bags of chips and cookies along with a to-go sauce of the guests’ choice. The family-owned restaurant brand is also offering a deluxe version of its new holiday box lunch option that includes an additional fan-favorite holiday side of southern-style green beans.

For mid-size gatherings of eight to 12, Dickey’s is also offering a new ready-to-eat Holiday Big Yellow Box which comes with sliced turkey breast, cornbread dressing, gravy, baked potato casserole, green beans with bacon and a dozen buttery rolls.

Available for pickup and delivery throughout the holiday season from participating Dickey’s locations, guests can enjoy these heat-and-eat options:

The Complete Feast – Choose from smoked turkey, prime rib, Cajun-fried turkey or spiral ham along with cornbread dressing, gravy, baked potato casserole, green beans with bacon and a dozen buttery rolls.

The Dinner Feast – Choose from smoked turkey, prime rib, Cajun-fried turkey or spiral ham along with cornbread dressing, gravy and a dozen buttery rolls.

À La Carte Menu – Order any of Dickey’s slow smoked holiday meats of savory sides individually.

Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants stated, “This year is anything but traditional and we want to do what we can to help make sure that all of our guests enjoy Thanksgiving without the added stress of having to cook,” says “Our holiday feasts have always been a big hit and this year, we’ve debuted the Holiday Big Yellow Box, which is a delicious Ready-2-Eat option. Whether you’re looking for delicious, high-quality sides, slow smoked meats or dessert, Dickey’s is here to help.” You can order and pick up and or have delivery from most locations. Have a Happy Thanksgiving Meal or Give a Thanksgiving Meal.

Foodservice Solutions® team is here to help you drive top line sales and bottom-line profits. Are you looking a customer ahead? Visit GrocerantGuru.com for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may the clue you need to propel your continued success.

What’s a Better For You Christmas Dinner Seafood

The Halo of ‘better for you’ is top of mind this year for Christmas dinner according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. Grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared complete meals, and or side-dishes have become a mainstay for holiday meals with 83.7% of consumers reporting they will have at least one on their table this Christmas according to our latest grocerant scorecards.

One recurring theme / undercurrent of the continued increase in use of grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food is the ‘halo’ of better for you that come form the time saving or hassle of cooking everything according to Johnson.

IRI recently reported that fresh and refrigerated packaged seafood reached $5.3 billion in the past year, up 3.4% vs. the previous year and 6.5% vs. three years ago. What’s hot this year in seafood? The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute reports that wild-caught salmon is the most important selling attribute for its customer base.

IRI reported that sales of salmon were up 7% this year and up 21% vs. three years ago. Have you incorporated Salmon into your fresh food meal offering for Christmas? How are you strengthen your brand relationship around the ‘halo’ of better for your meals and meal components?

So, what or the other fresh prepared food items that will hit the table this Christmas? Here is our list:

What is the number one entrée or side dish you would like to buy rather than make?

1.       Pumpkin Pie at 90.7%

2.       Dressing / Stuffing at 72.1%  

3.       Cranberry relish at 67.8%

4.       Turkey at 58.9%

5.       Mashed Potatoes at 57.5%

While Salmon was not on our top five it clearly was moving up our list. The halo of ‘better for you’ continues to drive consumer adoption. Are you looking for way to expand that ‘halo’ with your brand?

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look more like yesterday that tomorrow?  Visit www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may have the clue you need to propel your continued success.

Battle for Share of Stomach

Happy Holiday Meals are Grocerant Niche Fresh Prepared and Delivered

One thing that continues to right true within the food sector is the fact that the undercurrents of a cultural holiday shift in family traditions is underway as more and more families opt for actives over hours in cooking, cleaning, and doing dishes according Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. Skiing, walking, running, shopping, binge-watching TV or sports are preferred over cooking from scratch according to Johnson.

Cooking from scratch is but a distance memory for most Americans.  In fact, our most recent Grocerant ScoreCard revealed that 83.2% of meals service at home for dinner included at least one grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat or Heat-N-Eat fresh food item.

Consumers are forgoing the traditional home-cooked Thanksgiving feast in return for something less time consuming and panic-inducing specifically grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food.  Today as regular readers of this blog know restaurants, grocery stores, liquor stores,

The National Restaurant Association says about nine percent of consumers ate Thanksgiving dinner out, four percent said they would buy a complete meal prepared locally. According to our Grocerant Guru® 83.2% of ‘home cooked’ meals with have at least one fresh prepared item on the table from either a grocery store, restaurant, bakery, or mail order. 

Sure most of you know that our team identified the 65 Inch HDTV Syndrome first but this holiday shift holiday’s is an undercurrent that progression from Thanksgiving plans even just six years ago has moved the needle even more.

So where did the NRA survey say consumers were going to go to eat dinner?  According to the NRA survey, 31 percent of diners eating out said they go to a local restaurant for dinner with another 30 percent saying they will head to a restaurant they usually go to for general special occasions. Eighteen percent said they will try a restaurant they have never been to before.

The team at Foodservice Solutions® wants to wish everyone a happy holiday season and no matter if your off skiing, boating, running, shopping, binge watching your 65 Inch HDTV, or cooking from scratch we wish you well. 

Success does leave clues www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  is the global leader in grocerant niche business development.  We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities.  Has your company had a Grocerant ScoreCard completed a Grocerant Program Assessment, or new Grocerant niche product Ideation?  Want one?  Call 253-759-7869 Email: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us

A Satisfying Christmas Dinner for Singles That’s Fast

While regular readers of this blog know that 50% of Americans over the age of 18 are single most of us forget that many of them will also spend Christmas alone.  That does not mean that they still don’t want to enjoy the sights, sounds, and savoring flavors of Christmas.  One successful global retailer has found the perfect blend of flavors sure to satisfy solo dinners holiday flavor dilemma.

This year European grocery giant Lidl launched a Christmas pizza topped with turkey, ham and brie that you can cook in ten minutes.  Now that’s a grocerant niche holiday meal for solo dinners that is a perfect fit for those looking for Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food.

Ok, so you think that the tradition of eating turkey on Christmas Day is under threat. It can be part of a family's festive ritual to prepare the meat and vegetables for the big day but this may no longer need to be the case. Remember in the U.S. 50% of Americans over the age of 18 are single.

Customized personalized pizza the love of pizzas is so strong in the U.S. 93% of Americans have consumed pizza within the last 30 days.  You can’t say that you are surprised that you can now have a full Christmas dinner in one place and all cooked in under fifteen minutes.

When Lidl launched a 'Christmas' pizza that is topped with roast turkey, ham, brie, cranberry and caramelized onions, no one would think that it would not be the hit of this season particularly the team at Foodservice Solutions® and it’s Grocerant Guru® Steven Johnson.

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant